Electric air heater



F. F. FORSHEE.

ELECTRIC MR HEATER.

APLICATION FILED DEC.2| 1920.

1,433,71 14. Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

ATTORNEY Pnend oa. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES 1,433,111 PATENT omer.

FRANK F. FORSHEE, OF FLINT,A MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC PRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

ELEc'rRic Am HEATER.

Application led December 2, 1920. Serial No, 427,759.

. Improvement in Electric Air Heaters, of

which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to electrically-heated apparatus and particularly to electrical air heaters, and it has for one of its objects to provide relatively simple and quickly removable heating elements for such heaters.

Another object of my inventionis to provide an electric air heater of relatively high efliciency and of simple design in which the parts are readily accessible for inspection or repairs.

In the single sheet of drawings, v

Figure l is a view, in front elevation, of an electric air heater embodying my invention Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof on-the line H-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View, in front elevation, of a heating element used in my electric heater,

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views, in end, side and rear elevation, respectively, of' a heating elementfand Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a contact teianinal used in the heater.

A casing 1, substantially of box shape, is

provided with suitablesupporting members 2. -Ventilating openings 3 are provided in the bottom wall 4 of the casing. An opening 5 is provided in the rear wall of the casing 1 and is closed by a quickly-removable cover member 6. l

A metal reector 7, of substantially U-shape is mounted in the front of the casing 1. The lower part of the reflector is provided with a downwardly extending flange 8 which is suitably secured to the front edge of the bottom wall l. The upper end of the reflector 7 is provided with an upwardly extending flange 9 in which is located a plurality of Ventilating openings 10. An ornamental guard 11 is located above the flange 8 and suitably secured thereto.

A cover member 12 is suitably secured to the top of the vcasing 1 and is Vof a construcrtion to give a finished appearance to the top of the casing. as well as serving to hold the u per part of the casing 1 and the flange 9 in t eir proper operative positions.

A plurality of heating elements 13 are located in the reflector 7, each element comprismg a plate 14 of suitable insulating material, Such as asbestos lumber or a refractory material. v. The plate 14 is provided, on 1ts front side, with aI plurality of integral, laterally-extending bars 15 which overhang the plate 14 a short distance. The bars 15 are spaced apart to provide grooves in which a resistor 16 may be located; the resistor being here indicated as a helical coil of wire. earwardly extending contac-t terminals 17 and 18 are located at each end of' the plate 14 and suit-ably Secured thereto. The resistor 16 has one of its ends connected to the outer end of the contact terminal 17 and is then so wound as to pass under-.the overhanging end of one of the bars 15, then laterally in the groove between two bars to the other side ofthe plate, then under the overhangingend of the second bar and so on until the opposite endof the plate 14 is 'reached and the other end of the resistor 16 is connected to the contact termina] 18.

The rear side of the plate 14 is provided with a plurality of grooves 19 extending longitudinally of' the plate and is also provided with a groove 2O near each end of the plate 14, extending laterally thereof. The grooves 19 and 20 may be used if it is desired to mount a plurality of' heating elements 13 in either lateral'or longitudinal alinement, by placing bars 14a in the grooves 19 ory 20 and securing the bars to the plates 14 by means of the screws which are provided to hold the contact terminals 17 and 18 in their proper operative positions there- A plurality of resilient contact terminals 21 are mounted on an insulating plate 22 which is secured to the rear of the reflector 7.4 The contact members 21 individually comprise a member 23 of substantially U- shape, suitably secured to the member 22 by means of screws 4or rivets 24. A resilient contact terminal 25, of substantially double U-shape, is located inside of the member 23 and suitably secured thereto by means of a bolt 26 and nut 27. A second nut 28 is provided on the bolt 26 to secure thereon current-conducting leads 29 to permit of energizing the heating elements. Suitable openings 30 are provided in the member 22, and openings 31 are provided in the reflector 7, to permit of lacing therethrough the Contact terminals 1 and 18 of the heatV dfi ing elements 13 to mount them in substantially the position indicated in Fig. 2. It may be noted that the location of the contact member 21, relatively to the opening 30 in the member 22, is such that the contact ter-- minals 17 and 18 rest upon the lower edge of the opening 3() so that the weight of the element 13 may be substantially carried thereby, in co-operation with the member 25. A suitable control switch 32 is located on the flange 8 and is connected to a supply circuit through suitable conductors 33.

It may be noted that the use of the device embodying my invention pro-vides relatively simple heating elements which may be easily and quickly 'removed from the heater without the use of any tools and which may be quickly replaced by new elements. The rear panel 6 may be easily and quickly removed giving access to the wiring and to the contact terminals 29 `for inspection and repairs.`

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and 1 desire*v that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically'set forth inthe appended claims.

claim as my invention l. An electric heater comprising a quickly removable heating element, `a reflector for said heating element of substantially Uf shape in lateral cross-section, .a 'ventilated casing forming a support for said reHector, insulating means on the rear of said reflector, and contact terminals secured to said insulating means and co-operating therewith to hold said heating element in its operative position. i

2. An electric heater comprising a casing having Ventilating openingstherein, a re- Hector substantially U-shape in lateral cross section, located in said casing, an insulating member secured to the rear of said reflector, resilient contact terminals mounted on said insulating member, a heating element located in said reector and combined adjustable current-carrying and heating-elementsupporting means secured to said heating element.

3. In an electric air heater, the combination with a casing and a reflector, of a resistorsupporting member comprising a plate of insulating material having spaced-l apart laterally-extending integral bars of greater length :than said supporting member and a resistor located between said bars and held in operative position by the `outer ends of said bars.

4f. In an electric air heater, the combination with a casing and a reflector mounted in said casing, of a heating element located in said reflector, current-conducting and element-supporting means extending rearwardly from said heating element, a plate of insulating material secured to the rear of said reflector, resilient contact members secured to said plate, said insulating plate and said Contact members co-operating with said current-conducting and element-supporting means to hold said heating element in its operative position in said reflector.

5. 1n an electric air heater, the combination with a casing and a reflector, of a resistor-supporting member comprising a plate of insulating material having a plurality of integral, spaced-apart, laterally-extending bars having overhanging ends, a resistor located between said bars and under said overhanging ends, rearwardly extending. current-conducting and resistor-supporting means,` and contact terminals mounted on said reflector.

6. ln an electric air heater the combination with a. casing and a reflector, of a forwardly removable heating element located in said reflector, rearwardly extending combined current-conducting and element-supporting means secured to said heating element, an insulating member mounted on the rear of said reflector, contact terminals mounted on said insulating member, said contact terminals co-operating with said insulating member to hold said heating element i-n its operative pesition.

lr. testimony whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my naine this i'th day of Nov. 1920.

raamt r. rossana. 

